The Miami Heat lacked the energy to pull off back-to-back wins last night as they fell to the Houston Rockets, 106-103. The one bright spot in the Heat’s lackluster loss was Michael Beasley’s energy level and how well he performed overall.

Erik Spoelstra has been steadily increasing Beasley’s minutes over the course of the last couple games, and this is being done to give him a more serious rotation spot as the playoffs approach. Beasley by definition is a volume scorer, and this type of offense is exactly what the second unit for Miami is going to need come playoff time. With much of the burden in terms of production being placed on the Heat’s Big Three, any that can be taken off of them by the second unit is a plus.

Beasley is still the second highest producer off the bench for the Heat, averaging 8.6 points and 3.4 rebounds on 52 percent shooting from the field this season. The only other role player with higher averages than that is Ray Allen, who receives way more playing time on average. Beasley is hitting career marks in several categories, which means that Beasley has adapted to the Heat’s offensive and defensive schemes quite well.

Beasley’s offensive spark is exactly what the second unit can thrive on, and his production with that group will be an absolute necessity over the course of the playoffs for the Heat. Outside of the Heat’s Big Three, Beasley could be the biggest x-factor for the defending champs as they attempt to claim their third straight title.

Jared Doyle is a Miami Heat writer for RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @outofboundsjay, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google